Commonwealth v. Meehan

A Suffolk County grand jury handed up an indictment on August 11, 1976, charging the defendant Joseph Meehan with the murder of Maryann Birks. The defendant moved before trial to suppress inculpatory statements made by him as well as articles of clothing belonging to him. Extensive evidence was received on the voir dire, including testimony from the defendant and medical testimony dealing with the extent to which the defendant’s perceptive ability was impaired when he made the statements. The judge filed lengthy findings which grounded his order granting the motion in part and denying it in…